Lesley Stahl is "devastated" by Bill Owens leaving '60 Minutes', says he "represented everything in a boss you could want"

Lesley Stahl says she's "devastated" by Bill Owens leaving CBS News’ 60 Minutes.

The executive producer will be leaving his job as President Trump continues to sue the network, it was recently announced. In a letter to the staff, he noted that there was an increasing lack of ability,

“To make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience,” according to Variety.

Stahl, who worked for the show for 35 seasons and for the network since 1971, told the outlet that Owens “represented everything in a boss you could want.” The latter served as the third executive producer in all of the news program's history, having led it since 2019.

Everything we know about 60 Minutes' status quo as Lesley Stahl says the show is not acting in the way that it should be: Read more

According to Variety, Bill Owens is stepping down as Paramount Global, the parent of CBS News, tries to sell to Skydance Media. However, this move may be difficult given President Trump's lawsuit against the network and the show.

Lesley Stahl is now calling out Paramount:

“I have been made aware of interference in our news processes, and calling into question our judgement,” Lesley told Variety. “That is not the way that companies that own news organizations should be acting.”

She also noted that Bill “just couldn’t abide the interference. We hope that this message reaches our bosses, that we have a reputation to uphold. It’s one of the reasons that CBS News is valuable. It’s what 60 Minutes stands for, and we can’t lose that. We can’t afford to lose that. We have lost our boss because of it. It’s just crushing.”

She also revealed that Owens has been urging staff to stay on with the show and keep it alive, and according to Variety, Tanya Simon, the executive editor of the program, is expected to succeed Owens, though she is currently doing so on an interim basis.

Stahl also noted that CBS News told employees on Tuesday that it intended to name a new employee from within the organization, adding that Simon is “a great newswoman."

“I’m hoping that Bill’s sacrifice, as Scott Pelley called it, is a message that resonates and changes can be made,” she adds.

Trending

Over the years, Lesley Stahl has been a vocal advocate for the show. Just this March, while accepting an award, she said that 60 Minutes was “fighting for its life.”

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback